Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-11-12

MARTINsBURG, w. VA. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER II, 1887.


clock was striking s; the postman would
soon arrive with newspapers and letters,7
and among them would be that cursed
letter of hers.
She would have been glad to find some
excuse to send her husband off, but ideas
fitted SO rapidly through her mind that
she could grasp no single one. With her
eyes fixed on the clock, she could only re-
peat to herself: "The postman is coming
with my letterl''
s'Iam hungryt'' said Mr.. Vivien. ''Sup-
pose we go down to breakfast. have
been travelling since midnight"
And both went down together.
As luck would have it, the postman
was behind time that morning To Alice,
the voice of her husband sounded as it
would have done in distant dream, as
she pictured to herself the row that was
going to take place.
She looked at him eating so heartily,
his eyes beaming with tenderness and
confidence, and she thought how soon all
that quiet happiness would vanish, and
all through her fault.
At last she heard the postman's foot
step, and, soon after, the servant laid the
mail on the table.
Mr.. Vivien looked mechanically at the
envelopes; there were three letters.
Alice, overcome with terror, felt the
blood coursing about her temples and
buzzing through her ears as she closed
her eyes, almost ready to faint away.
''Who writes to you in this place?'
asked her husband, handing her small,
scented envelope addressed in strange
handwriting
81 don't know" stammered she.
s'Look and see.''
But Alice held her letter without dar-
ing to open it.
"Well, why don't you read that letter?''
insisted Mr.. Vivien.
Then, with movement of despair, she
abruptly handed him the letter, saying:
''Read it yourselfr' and she awaited,
expecting to see everything fall to pieces
about her.
She heard the noise of tearing paper,
and then, after few seconds of mortal
agony, her husband said:
1.-THE letter is signed Roger de Beau
mont. He is secretary of a benevolent
committee, and requests your aid in rails
ing funds for the orphans"
4
A few days later Mr. Vivien took Alice
back to Paris. The young woman had
not seen anything of Roger, and she was
terribly worried by the thought that her
letter had remained in the young mans
possession.
The remembrance of that letter became
the torture of her life. 6
At times she would have crazy notion
of throwing herself at her husbands feet
and acknowledging. her moment of folly,
but she was terrified at the thought that
it might destroy their quiet happiness.
Another fear also oppressed her and
choked down the avowal that her over
burdened heart wished to make.
"Will my husband really believe that
man obtained only those few lines of love
from me?'
She would occasionally see Roger at the
play, at the race or on the promenade; in
looking at her he would always smile in
such a hooking way that she would
tremble from shame and anguish.
Ten years went by in this way. At last,
they met by chance one evening alta grand
ball. Roger came forward to engage
Alice for dance. 1t was only by super
+ human effort that she did not faint, but
on rejecting that she would perhaps never
again have an opportunity Of speaking to
the man who held her honor, nay even her
life, in his hands, she accepted his invita-
ton.
Sir" said she in low voice, ''for
heavens sake have pity on me this time.
Give me back my peace of mind. During
the past ten years of my life have been
tortured almost to death. For PHYS sake,
return the letter which I SO foolishly
wrote to you"
Roger burst out in a loud, careless
laugh, while the woman stood painting
with Impotence and anger.
AT last he answered frankly, his voice
still seeming full of fun:
"Why, do you think that I have been
keeping all the love letters that received
during my life? On my honor, 1 swear
it, lighted my cigar with yours the day
you left the seaside, when saw that all
hope was lost. TRANSLATED from the
French of Morand for The Times Demo-
crat.